Adventure #33: Baking Up My Motivation

MORNING TIME!  Get UP!  Roll out of BED!  But...wow did I sleep!  Take a look at the covers after my Tuesday night slumber.  I must have had quite the dream.  See, I typically think that I'm a rock when I sleep but obviously that night, my blankets thought otherwise.  Ah well, made the bed quick, grabbed the day's clothes to be worn, and hopped in the shower to get all clean and rejuvenated for a lovely day at CoFo!

 

Hey look--I really truly DID get ready and make myself presentable!  Crazy how a little effort can really transform someone, haha. 

Following the getting-ready routine, I completed the usual getting-lunch-ready routine and then the getting-breakfast ready routine.  Luckily the eating of said breakfast is a bit more enjoyable than just the preparation of it.

 

But as you see to the left, I spared myself a few minutes to call up Brian and let him know that it would be a good day--a day in which his final class paper was due!  I'm always surprised when I call him in the morning and he answers--you'd think after it happening often enough I wouldn't be surprised any longer, but c'mon, it's morning, I should be leaving him voicemails while he sleeps, right?!  Nope.  He chatted with me before I left for work.  Take THAT sleep!

 

Maybe it's just me, but I often find that I'm either running late or am dawdling a bit because I'm kind of early in the mornings.  On this particular morning, I was a tad bit early, so I had time to freshen up the apartment in my favorite way--concentrated air freshener.  I actually have three kinds (pumpkin spice, sandy beaches, and summer breeze).  I consistently used pumpkin for awhile, but I wanted to try out sandy beaches, so I (unseasonably) did so.  But c'mon, it's summer-like in Texas on some days in December anyway, so it doesn't really matter.  And it's awesome because both Yankee Candle AND Bath and Body Works makes these little glories--I'm guessing they won't halt sales of them any time soon.

Though I may have been a little early that morning, I almost always spill hot water when I'm pouring tea into my Eco-mug.  Never fails.  I'm messy.  The good thing?  It's just hot water.  Even better?  It's not hot enough to burn me if I spill it on myself.  So I just keep a kitchen towel handy and go on with life, haha.

 

This week has been my turn carpooling so I stopped where-ever I was needed that morning in the Riverside area.  (We have five of us total who carpool but very often some people drive themselves or work out some other transportation plans, so I always keep a lookout for the morning texts canceling some stops on the morning commute for pickups.)  Carpooling involves communication, a bit of waiting aroudn for pickups, seating arrangements, and interesting arrays of music/radio talk shows.  Ah the joys of saving money!  (Haha, it really is an experience though!)  Side note:  The picture is NOT from eye level.  That kinda just occurred to me...

 

Sooo...I had an agenda in mind straight away for when I got to work.  You can see from the pic that it was NOT all that enjoyable of a start to the agenda--any guesses why?!  Well, I was on hold.  With financial aid.  And this 'being on hold' took longer than the actual conversation.  C'mon now--really?!  It's 9a.m., students should be sleeping or be in class or studying for tests/finals or something...  Ok, Selfish Ali Rant is done now (but it's not completely selfish because I was calling on behalf of a student!  So there.)

To represent my productivity at work and much of the computer-y stuff involved with that (Facebook chatting, sending emails, logging student contacts, etc), here's an up-close and personal view of my keyboard.  Exciting stuff.  (And makes me realize that I should paint my fingernails some time...)

 

I think lunch happened some time in there and lots of typical, mundane things...but then I decided I needed to talk to Brian on the phone for a break in my day, and that was pretty awesome--but especially because I found DOGS!  Yup, there were two giant dogs fenced in the yard out back of CoFo, and I had never noticed that before,  I have no idea if they are even that visible through the fence holes and with my poor photography skills, but if you look closely you might see the black and white one.  And if you don't believe me still, just ask Brian--most of the conversation I was distracted by the excited pooches jumpin around and going up to the fence.

 

After my excitement from the outdoors, I eventually needed some distraction again since I tend to be so productive that I often burn myself out on a work day.  (But really...)  I strayed from my go-to music option of listening to the CD Brian made/sent for me and plugged the headphones into my iPod shuffle for some of the old school stuff.  I feel like I rarely have new songs on that thing, so most of it is very-much outdated.

 

And now...time for me to be artistic!  The workday ended, I drove everyone home, and I took a little time before dinner to snap some photos of the gorgeous sky.  What a treat! 

 

 

 Oh yeah, I checked the mail, too.  The letter in the Wells Fargo envelope was way more excited than I was when it announced my upgraded account from a College Credit account to some other normal account.  I guess there are some perks that I didn't read into too much.  But...my credit must be pretty good for this to happen, right?  (Go me!  I barely use that credit card!  Haha.)

For some reason, I have issues with making eggs for myself lately.  And this is not cool because I typically make myself eggs at least once a week (good source of protein for Vegetarian Ali).  But...look at the burnt egg leftovers in the pan...and the spilled egg yolk on the counter!  I wonder if I have the heat on too high when I cook the egg?  I use non-stick spray...  And, well, I don't think there's much that can help my egg-cracking skills.  I pretty much spill on a surface every time.

 

Dinner chaos eventually ended, and I was successfully nourished (and the kitchen got a quick wipe-down post-egg-cooking).  The big goal of the evening was to make Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars.  These were to represent the birthday dessert that I owed Aeryn from her birthday coupon--basically there was leftover cream cheese in the fridge (which neither of us really eats), so I suggested cheesecake, and she seemed to like the idea.  No beautiful end result pictures for you, Dear Reader, but those you can certainly find in my Facebook album titled The Foodie Files.  Explore, salivate, and enjoy.  (By the way, I DID get to use my food processor for the graham cracker crust!  It's always exciting when I get to use my new kitchen tools!)

 

 

Did I mention that while the cheesecake bars baked, I FoodGawked?  (Yep, just made that a word.)  None of you are surprised at this foodie activity, I'm sure.  Just Ali being herself.

 

And THEN:  It was big-apple-eating-time!  Yep, this was the night when I got to eat my Honeycrisp apple.  I only buy one a week at the grocery store becaues they are so giant and should be saved for an occasion during the week when I REALLY want a lot of delicious apple in my belly.  Last night was the night.  And no, I didn't eat two, I just thought I would continue the artsy theme and take a picture of both sides.  I still don't think the pictures show how big it really was either.

 

 

YUM!!!  My favorite apple!  It was a good day and a good end to the night with apple-eating, tea-drinking, sweets-consumption, and some Skype time with the boyfriend.  I like my casual, relaxed weekdays spent in.  Especially when I get to bake!  But hey, who knows what will happen on the next Adventure Day?!  I hope you'll return again and read about it.

Adventure #32: It's Friday--Is it an Adventure Day?!

FRIDAY!  And what do ya know--a voicemail was on my phone straight away from Brian!  Good thing I DID check it straight away because he decided that it was Adventure Day.  It had been hinted at earlier in the week that he might randomly spring it on me when Adventure Day would be.  Sure enough, the voicemail told me so.  And so it was!

 

Not only was it Adventure Day, but it was a few other occasions, too.  First of all, the CoFo Fun Team had deemed it 'Lumberjack Day.'  This means that one should try and wear flannel, flaunt the No-Shave-November facial hair, and walk around with an ax.  (Just kidding on that last one.)  The unfortunate part of this special occasion is that I don't own any flannel!  I don't have any facial hair to show off either.  I felt so...unspirited!  On top of all that, the shirt I chose was super-wrinkly.

 

 The third occasion (and most important in my opinion) is that it was Aeryn's birthday!  I had been waiting for this day for quite awhile actually because of the lil creation that I made to the left.  It's a birthday coupon for me to cook for my favorite roommate--Dinner AND dessert!  I'm excited for the occasion that she uses it; it's always more fun to cook/bake for people than it is for me to just indulge myself in yummy goodness (assuming that what I make is yummy in the first place!)

So yeah, I set out the birthday coupon on the counter (after getting all dressed and whatnot) and proceeded with the ever-so-exciting morning rituals.  First off, I emptied the dishwasher (drama to the max!), then made my lunch with the delicious 15 Grain bread to the left (on the edge of your seat, aren't ya?), and finished off with the usual breakfast prep (quite the cliff-hanger ending isn't it?).  Breakfast smoothie was the chosen sustainence for the morning meal, so in went the frozen banana into my lovely blender.  One loud and obnoxious bout of blender-ruckus later and--BLAM!  Breakfast smoothie!

And what is to accompany the breakfast smoothie?  Tea, of course!  (What else were you expecting me to drink at 7:30am?!)  Breakfast foods were eaten as I read at my ever-so-slow pace from this month's book club book:  The Screwtape Letters.  I'm moving along in it quicker than I thought I would (progress feels good man!), but I really only read at breakfast time or when I'm not driving for carpool.  So...I'm pretty limited on my opportunities to make progress on my reading in the first place.

Upon rising from my chair and traipsing to the kitchen after slurping down both the smoothie and the tea, I took a glimpse at the wall calendar.  Tehe, I remember ages ago scrawling Aeryn's birthday on her special date so that nobody could possibly forget!  And look, there it is below!

 

 

So I drove the carpool peeps to work because on one's birthday, one shouldn't have to drive to work, regardless of whether or not it is one's turn to drive carpool.  (It's just part of the package deal that Aeryn gets for living with me, haha.)  It was a pretty grey day out overall and once I got to work, I fully realized that...one of those mornings where all I really wanted to do was stare out the window and watch cars drive by on the freeway.  (No worries, this was a short-term feeling, and I honestly don't have much of a direct view from my desk to car-watch anyway.

HEY!  Remember how I said it was Lumberjack Day?!  Well...Fun Team had posted the awesome posters to the right around the office earlier in the week, and I thought that they were cool enough to take a picture of one and share it with YOU!  Good stuff, right?  It really is too bad that I don't own flannel and couldn't be a 'LumberJill' as Ian coined the female participants.  There was even a voting competition for the Best LumberJack/Jill and the Best Facial Hair.  If you knew who I was talking about and/or if you weren't already there to hear the announcement, then I'd tell you the winners.  But no need.

To the left is something miraculous yet not-so-miraculous:  the END of a note pad of paper!  I must have been taking some serious notes and doing some serious work, right?!  Yup, gotta be true.  PROOF.

Gah!  Super grainy picture above!  Boo to that!  (Why don't I expect this more when I take pictures of screens?  Ah well.)  I was just excited to post the above picture of a corgi on my CoFo Facebook AND to have three students 'like' it!  (Secretly, I do keep track of which pics my students tend to see and 'like'...although I suppose I don't give them many options of variety since I only really post corgi pictures anyway.)

 

December is typically a cold month.  Well, not-so-much here in Texas.  And this is something I'm ok with--EXCEPT when the air conditioning in the office makes my working conditions frigid!  Might I add that I am very sensitive to cold and that I'm probably a big baby, but whatever.  I wore my jacket and covered up with my office blankie and was then comfortable to buckle down and get to work.  Better be warm than cold, that's what I say!

Then--lunch time hit!  I munched away on my sandwich, and impressively enough, it's a shape!  Maybe...a state?  Haha, I'm so weird the way I eat my sandwiches.  (Don't judge.)

 

Next up on the work day agenda:  do my weekly chore!  At CoFo, there is a chore rotation schedule, so each coach will every so often get assigned a chore on Monday that he/she must then complete by the end of the workday on Friday.  My chore this week:  Take care of the accumulating mountain of cardboard recycling in the supply closet.  Fun stuff.  The pic below is actually only about half of it.  It wasn't that bad though, just two trips outside into the sunlight (gasp!).

 

 

And yes!  Tis true!  I DID go out into the sunlight, back in the parking lot, allll the way out to where the recycling dumpster is.  Before heading back inside after completing my chore, I caught a glimpse of Babs the Minivan chillin in the farthest parking spot out front.  It's my favorite parking spot.  Yup, I have a favorite parking spot.  (Judging me again, aren't ya?) 

But I eventually made it back inside and after doing a bit of work, wandered over to Aeryn's cubicle where the Fun Team had worked their magic and decorated in her honor.  The four pieces of computer paper posted behind her are the Fun Team contributions--the pink sheet is Aeryn's own handiwork for her name tag.  Yup, that's my creative roomie!

Then on her desk were MORE decorations (although the Batman figurine is a recognition award...don't ask, it's a CoFo thing, haha.) 



Oh.  And below is Aeryn's Halloween Zombie portrait.  On a balloon.

 

 

The afternoon was DRAGGING ON though!  Seriously, I don't know what it was, but I wasn't feeling motivated to actually work (no worries, work had been done in abundance, just without motivation present to move things along pleasantly).  C'mon, it was an epic Friday Adventure Day--what was happening?!  Something that did help a bit was popping in Brian's CD he sent to me awhile back which I keep at work to keep the productivity flowing.  I don't know what I would do without that playlist sometimes...

Fast forward through some of the 'boring'...  Got the mail, got home, and...  VOILA!  Food stamps renewal GRANTED!  AND my Women's Health Care plan!  Woooo! 

 

 

DINNERTIME!  And I earned it!  The green beans were an easy prep-serve-eat:  threw em in a mug and microwaved with a lil water.  The tricky part was waiting around for the *@%$ brown rice to finish cooking.  It took half an hour for the rice to cook, and I hadn't even added/cooked the spices and the egg yet.  Let's just say that the green beans were long gone by the time the rice was ready, and the rice didn't stick around for very long.

YUM! FOOD!

At some point during the week (probably when I counted how many apples I had left and realized when I'd run out), I decided that Friday night would be Grocery Shopping Night.  One of my favorite things is seriously grocery shopping.  I'd say it was a successful trip, too.  I usually bring three reusable bags with me into HEB--and sure enough, three bags left with me, each of them at least half full of food stuffs.  Yay!

Next up:  gotta go get bread!  Haha, but really, I was assigned Breakfast Duty for the writing and scholarship workshop in the morning, and I was headed out to some random Panera in Austin to go snag the reserved donations for the event.  (I scheduled the reservation myself!)  I didn't get lost, but it did take longer than I anticipated to get there.  (Probably because it was farther away than I thought.  Makes sense, I guess.)  Oh, and of course I used  my GPS to the right.  How else would I have found it?!

You better believe I was successful, too!  Bunches of pastries and bagels were boxed up and put in the back of Babs the Minivan for me to tote to the workshop the next morning.  I knew I'd be guaranteed a muffin for myself, so I snagged mine and set it aside for me to eat before I left in the morning--mmmm, cranberry muffin!

 

 

Arrived back home and actually locked the door behind me--Aeryn was away for the weekend with it being her birthday and all, so I double locked the door and got ready to tuck in for the night.  No intruders gonna be waking up Ali P. during her Friday night slumber!  You'll see that I also did a lil bit of work by reading over Tara Bell's grad school personal statement.  It was draft number two, and I was quite impressed and excited to play a part in gettin my girl into a super-awesome program to fit her super-awesome skills.

 



One more lil adventure was to be had before I called it a night and went to bed:  I was gonna BAKE!  No worries, nothing intense, just these simple cookie dough balls that I'd been meaning to whip up and try.  The thing is, I couldn't really form them into balls and couldn't sensibly turn it into even three 'glops,' so it just became one giant glop in the middle of the pan.  But hey--SO YUMMY!

 

With a full belly and a frame of mind ready for an early wake-up to help high schoolers with scholarships in the morning, I climbed into bed and called up the boyfriend to have a lil chit chat before bidding good night and good-bye to my Friday Adventure Day.  Looking back, I actually seemed to have done a lot, captured a lot, and accomplished a lot.  I suppose it truly was an Adventure Day in that I did my best to make adventures of not-so-adventurous things.  But hey--you be the judge of that!  (Yep, I'm giving you judging abilities now!  Go for it!)

The first December Adventure Day post will be coming soon!